Sundays have become special for me since last week as I started going for gardening. Usually, after the butter and bread at the mess (sunday special), the day goes in desolation till afternoon. Now I am happy that I have filled it with something truly interesting and refreshing. It takes around 15 minutes to reach the spot from Ashram. Last time, as soon as we reached there, they showed us the plants there in the garden. It was a vegetable garden with some good flower species too. I never saw the carrot plant before and it was pretty with small and rich green leaves. Our task was to pluck grass. I am experienced in plucking grass at home. It is long since I stood barefoot on the soil for some work and I enjoyed doing it. The place had black soil and it was muddy due to the rain the last night. We cut the grass with sickle. The roots laid very strong and deep in the soil. We cut the roots with sickle and removed the grass with hand. It was very sunny that day and I got tired very fast. I felt very nice when a big drop of sweat rolled down through my forehead. I remembered the farmers at my home town who work the whole day from early morning till evening during harvest time. It is totally a different experience from sitting in front of the computers and working on the soil. It is nice to work in the open air with many fresh and green plants around you. Even this week, I got the same work of plucking grass. The place had quite a lot of grass to be plucked. In addition we planted some spinach too. After the work, it was awesome to sit on the side of the backwaters and enjoy the sound of the water and listen to the wind. It is so calm and peaceful. Back at ashram, we had the final event of gardening process, drinking Kanji. Though I dont like Kanji at all, I liked drinking Kanji after the work which gave me a sense of getting energized. I felt my mind more relaxed and refreshed and I loved the experience.

I am always very much fascinated about the great Rishis who knew everything about the universe not by wandering around the world and studying the outer world, but by going to the deeper ocean of the inner self. Meditation is always a magic to me. I first thought that what I see when I look into a mirror is what I am. I knew I was not my hand, nor my leg, nor my head or fingers.. Then how can a combination of them be me. This thought led me to the conclusion that I am not the body. I found a substitute that it is my thoughts. It is in my culture class that my sir taught me that “I” am not the mind nor the thoughts.

I understood that I was wrong. “I” am the mere consciousness that I feel that I am alive. That was a superb explanation which convinced me with many of my doubts. It is superb to hear about diving deep into ourself and to find out of our real nature. As I am not a rishi, I knew I wont be able to meditate like that. But the advantages of meditation is tremendous.

If we look into the physical benefits, some of the features can be pointed out as such :

Increased flexibility

Lubrication of joints

Toning of muscles

Increased oxygen in blood

Removes toxins

Strengthens immune system

Lowers heart rate

Lowers cholesterol

Normalizes blood pressure

Lowers cortisol and lactate

Mental benefits:

Relaxation

Improved concentration

Better concentration

Better time management

Better relationship

Improves learning ability

Improves memory

Increases creativity

Decreases depressions

Decreases irritability

Decreases moodiness

Meditation keeps you healthy, both mentally and physically. But it is not an easy task. To watch the mind as an external person is difficuilt as the thoughts dont take permissions while entering. But still, I love to meditate. And I meditate till I realise that I slept off… 🙂

One day, my sir asked me what comes to my mind when he says Vitamin C. I said lemon, orange, vitamin tablets etc… It was then when he said me about the master of Vitamin C , Guava. I was a bit surprised to know that Guava was a superstar among fruits. We had a Guava tree in our home and Guava was a very common fruit in our area. I never cared to eat Guava because I didnt know its essence. If you thought that oranges were the richest source of vitamin C, then you are mistaken. They dont come in the vicinity of Guava. One Guava provides 165 mg of vitamin C whereas one orange provide just 69 mg.

I was thinking of my foolishness on buying Oranges without eating the Guava that grew in front of my eyes in search of Vitamin C. According to some researches, Guava is the most nutritious fruit. Guava is mainly produced in Mexico, India and Brazil. Guavas are rich in Vitamin A,C and B3, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, and anti oxidant pigments such as caretenoids and polyphenols.

One Guava provides you 688 mg of potassium whereas potassium rich banana can provide you with only 254 mg of potassium. Potassium helps you in lowering blood pressure and also keep your skin glowing and wrinkle free.

The fiber content is good for digestive system and keeps your intestine clean. Vitamin C helps in maintaining a healthy immune system, it aids in neutralizing pollutants, is needed for antibody production, acts to increase the absorption of nutrients (including iron) in the gut, and thins the blood.